The #NorthernIreland Protocol. Is a deal done? From what I hear, not quite. In a way that’s obvious because an agreement isn’t sealed until both sides sign on the dotted line. But diplomats in Brussels agree that a compromise plan isn’t quite there, yet...🧵
The political tour that Rishi Sunak & his ministers are going on may be read as the kind of end-game choreography you’d expect to see before an inevitable announcement. But there's an alternative reading...
Could the PM use today’s talks with parties in Northern Ireland, particularly the DUP, to try & then press the EU for final concessions. 'You need to give me this' etc. It would be a bold play at this stage, when multiple sources say an announcement next week is within reach...
But this is politics and Brexit talks; it could all still fall apart. Many eyes will be on Mr Sunak’s meeting with the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in Munich this weekend. That discussion, I hear, is set to focus on any remaining differences. (ends)
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